Ken Dooley

Ken is a veteran editor, writer, and author, who has been writing about sales for nearly 20 years. He has produced countless motivational films and has written dozens of books on management.

7 differences between successful and unsuccessful salespeople

by Ken Dooley

For some salespeople, success is elusive. They struggle, search and try, year after year, to find financial security. Others seem to achieve great sales success effortlessly.

What’s the difference between successful and unsuccessful salespeople? Is it luck that leads to success, having the right contacts or selling the “hot” products or services?

Or is hard work, a powerful will to succeed or some other measurable quality, like persistence?

While no one can say that one quality guarantees success or the absence of another means failure, the following list represents the differences between those who succeed and those who fail:

Overcoming the No. 1 cause of sales team turnover: The sales slump

by Ken Dooley

A recent survey of sales managers identified the number one reason for sales turnover.

What is it? Sales slumps.

Sooner or later it happens to the best of salespeople: a sudden slump starts slowly and then snowballs. And if it lasts long enough, those salespeople will bail and find a job where they think they can actually make sales.

Here are tactics to help your salespeople break the dreaded sales slump – and help you retain them:

The 6 worst sales gaffes your people make – and how to fix them

by Ken Dooley

We surveyed customers to find out the leading causes of why they decided not to buy from a particular salesperson. We compiled the results and ranked the worst sales gaffes by the number of times they were cited.

The 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th leading causes of sales slumps

by Ken Dooley

Some sales slumps linger far too long because salespeople get so hung up on the effect they stop looking for the cause. If they spent more time looking for the cause, they may be able to break out of the slump earlier.

Here are four causes of sales slumps and tips on how to overcome them:

Face-to-face customer conversations: They make or break sales

by Ken Dooley

Some things in business are crystal clear. One of them is that people will not buy unless they believe they’ll get what they want and avoid what they don’t want. You become indispensable to your customer when you demonstrate that you both understand his or her problems and goals — and have the ability to help with them.

That requires great customer conversations.

The No. 1 sales question you must be able to answer for customers

by Ken Dooley

If your salespeople can’t answer this question, prospects and customers may either demand the lowest price or buy from someone else.

The No. 1 sales question buyers want you to answer: Why should I buy from you?

Selling to prospects and customers without determining their needs is irrelevant selling. Lack of relevance distorts your aim. It’s like shooting at a target with a gun that has a bent sight.

Customer demands have changed: Do you know what they want now?

by Ken Dooley

How well do your salespeople know today’s customers?

Think of your biggest customers and prospects and ask yourself these questions:

Do you know why they continue to do business with you?
Do you know specifically what problems you’re helping them solve or avoid?
Do your customers understand why your company can uniquely service them?

The answers to these questions may give an indication of how well you’re responding to changing behaviors in customers and prospects.

10 top-notch prospecting techniques to keep your pipeline full

by Ken Dooley

It’s imperative to keep the pipeline filled with prospects. As a result, the prospecting process must come to occupy a primary place in a salesperson’s list of priorities if success is to be achieved.

Here are 10 prospecting techniques that will bring you a steady stream of qualified potential customers:

Is your sales process killing you? Ask yourself these 10 questions

by Ken Dooley

When was the last time you took a close look at your sales process, starting with lead generation and working right through to the close?

It may have become more complex or intricate than it needs to be, which may burden prospects with needless, time-wasting activities.

And that could be killing your sales.

Conquering your cold calling fears: What is and isn’t working

by Ken Dooley

Even though many salespeople dread it, the simple truth is that cold calling is an absolutely necessary part of the sales process, and it pays.

Despite its importance, cold calling is the weakest part of many salespeople’s skill set and routine. They put it off as long as they can. They’d rather do paperwork or volunteer to go get coffee than commit the time and effort it takes to cold call.

The simple truth is that cold calling pays. It’s one of the few ways for salespeople to find customers who are unhappy with their current situation and are willing to listen to better offers.

Research shows that 10% to 15% of customers are actively looking for new vendors. And another 20% to 30% are willing to listen to someone who can promise a better product, cheaper product, faster delivery or superior service.

Ken Dooley

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